Manchester United fans will have been surprised to see Wayne Rooney leave the club this summer.
The former United captain has rejoined boyhood club Everton on a free transfer.
It’s a move that’s unlikely to resurrect his career, as the England forward just doesn’t have the pace or the finish that he used to.
There’s a good chance Ronald Koeman has brought him in more for his experience for anything else, but it’s still one for football’s romantics.
Ultimately, as Jose Mourinho had started to drop him on the bench more and more, it was pretty inevitable that he would be on his way out of Ild Trafford.
However, even if the England captain was no longer a regular in the starting line-up, the Red Devils were still faced with a decision to make over his successor as club captain.
Jose Mourinho could have opted for a player who would offer some stability in the role and who could take the armband forward for years to come.
Instead, he’s opted for a quick fix by handing it to Michael Carrick, with Ander Herrera as his vice-captain.
Carrick comes across as a mature professional and crucially, he knows what it takes to win the Premier League, the Champions League – and basically, everything there is to win.
The only real question mark against the midfielder is that just like Rooney, he no longer plays every week.
At 35, it’s just not possible for the former Spurs and West Ham man to feature in every game. Mourinho admitted last season he wished he could “stop the clock” when it came to Carrick’s career.
I'm privileged to be captain of this incredible football club @manutd, I love the place and I'll give everything to achieve more success ? pic.twitter.com/8BbTe9Jqo0
— Michael Carrick (@carras16) July 11, 2017
However, in the short term, United fans will be excited to see what he has to bring to the table.
The veteran has already posted a classy tweet looking ahead to the new era.
It’s that attitude which has been key to his success over the years, and Mourinho will no doubt be confident that he can guide United to more silverware in what could be his final year as a player.
Last season’s haul of both the EFL Cup and Europa League wasn’t a bad return, but with the additions of Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku, Carrick must have set his sights on one last Premier League title.